Study: Health Care Costs Would Drop $63 Billion If Only One-Tenth Of Smokers Quit

There is an interesting study out of the University of San Francisco California by James Lightwood (associate professor in the UCSF School of Pharmacy) and his colleagues on the cost of smoking. The team found that if 1 in 10 people in the US quit smoking, health care costs would drop $63 billion in next year.

The health care costs were not only calculated for smokers but those who are affected by second-hand smoke. The reduction came with a fall in heart disease, lung disease and complications during pregnancy.

Smoking cigarettes causes about one out of every five deaths in the US each year. That translates to more than 480,000 deaths each year. Mortality is higher for men (278,544) than women (201,773).

These are truly staggering figures. While I remain a firm believer that individuals should make this choice for themselves, the study would suggest that even greater educational programs to deter smoking would be efficient if they can help reduce these numbers of smokers.

Source: Science News Journal